Lost [Tsering/Open]

[gkblazer]

"I am so lost," Renshu said to himself as he examined the map in his hands and walked through a forest in the Earth Kingdom. The Fire prince was heading to Republic City he had heard it was a great place to visit. He was honestly more interested in a sport that he had heard called Pro-bending, he wanted to enhance his skill and become a better fire bender. As he thought about it he would need team members so he figured along the way maybe he could recruit some members to join him. He was in earthbender territory so Renshu highly doubted he'd find any other kind of bender despite earth but he might be wrong. Renshu wound up stopping by a tree near a small river in a clearing of the forest, he would stop here take a break and then keep moving.

As he sat down next to the tree he examined his map again. It seemed that Republic City was much farther than he figured and it would take a while to get there. The firebender sighed, he didn't like being so far away from his destination it bugged him. He then took off his cloak and walked over to the river and notice there was all sorts of fish in the river just waiting for him to catch for food. Renshu smirked, normally he'd try and fire bend him some food but today he felt like testing his tool making abilities and plus they were in the water so his fire might not be the best tool to use. Renshu then looked around for a long enough stick and rock and started sharpening the stick.

He sat there sharpening the stick until it was sharp enough for getting the fish. "There!," He said happily as his new spear was ready. He then got up and walked over to the river and got a good look at his prey. Renshu wasn't familiar with all the types of fish in the earth kingdom but he didn't care they all looked tasty. The young prince then started thrusting the spear into the water hoping to catch some fish. At first he had no luck at all he kept trying and trying but he wasn't successful at it. Eventually he got up set and started blasting fire balls into the water. After he finished his little raging out he noticed he actually blasted a few fish out of the water.

"This will do," He sighed as he walked over to the few fish he actually got out of the water and stab them with his stick-spear. He had a total of three fishes which was fine for just him but he knew he would have to hunt bigger game later to really get him full. Renshu then made a small fire and set up his fish by making a makeshift rotisserie with some other sticks he found. He'd then wait for his food to cook so he could eat it.

[pkdot]

With a yawn, Tsering stretched against the trunk of the tree he was perched in, feeling satisfaction as his muscles crunched. Sleepily, he sat up properly, turning his head slowly as he tried to work out what time it was. Judging by the position of the sun, mid-afternoon maybe? Not bad for him. Yawning again, he reached down and untied the rope holding him in place in the canopy of the tree, glancing down in case any wild animals were about. He was certain, absolutely certain, he'd come across a tigerdillo last night. Sure, they weren't supposed to be in this area but you didn't take any chances when it came to large, hungry predators with dripping fangs and a craving for blood. Tsering shivered and reached forward for his bag. Unfortunately, he leaned a little too far and with a yelp, he tumbled from the tree, only managing to stop himself experiencing a most painful wakeup by quickly blasting an erratic puff of air at the ground.

“That's the last time I'm sleeping in a tree”, Tsering mumbled, peering upwards at his bag. He shifted his left behind him into a well practised stance and brought his arms around in a circle, thrusting forward with one palm to send a small blast of air at the bag. It took a few attempts, but he finally managed to get it knocked down and he strode over, picking it up wryly. That probably meant he needed to practise, but the rumbling of his stomach reminded him he hadn't eaten since he'd gone to bed late last night. That decided everything. Food first, practise later. Luckily, he'd seen a few fruit trees the day before and if he just wandered for a bit, he'd probably find them again. A strict vegan, Tsering avoided eating or using any animal products at all costs, believing that it was important to keep the number of lives fuelling you to a minimum. It did make finding food a little more awkward though, as it was harder to store for long periods of time.

Tsering was in the habit of carrying rice cakes, an Earth Kingdom food, and he pulled one out of his bag as he walked quietly through the woods, munching on it as he tried to remember where he'd come from before. Tsering normally left scratches to show where he'd come, but his fright over the Tigerdillo had probably disrupted him. Scratching his head as he tried to remember, Tsering grimaced as he felt the first prickles of new hair sprouting from his scalp. Great. It always itched when his hair came through. Still, at least he had some luck. He came across a bush covered in strawberries close to the river. “Lucky!” he exclaimed with a grin, grabbing a few and stuffing his face with them. Wiping the red juices from his mouth, he selected a couple of handfuls and put them in a small pouch for later when he got hungry again.

Of course, now he really ought to practise but his attention was caught by splashing further up the river. Happy to have any reason not to do his homework, so to speak, Tsering wandered up the path, peering curiously up ahead as he spotted a man trying to catch some fish with a spear. It always made him a bit uncomfortable to see people hunting, but Tsering lifted a hand anyway to say hello. To his surprise, the man suddenly started blasting the water with fire and Tsering jumped back, automatically spinning his arms around in a circle to make a shield of air as he ducked behind a tree. “A fire bender” he hissed to himself, as if his mind hadn't worked it out yet, and peered around again, trying to work out who the man was attacking.

Except, Tsering realised with a grin, he wasn't trying to attack anyone. It looked like he'd had no success at fishing and in his rage had somehow managed to blast a few fish out. Tsering guffawed at the man's attempt and stepped out from the tree, not bothering to worry about why the bender was there. “Interesting fishing method” Tsering said with a grin as he approached the man, now setting up a fire, “You know, most people use spears, lines and traps. But hey, if it works, it works right?” To show he meant no hard feelings, he raised both hands. “Unusual to see a fire bender around these parts though” he added friendlily, nodding to the fire where the fish were beginning to roast. His nose wrinkled at the horrible smell of burnt flesh and he sat down a little way away, looking at the bender curiously. “Visiting family? War talks? Holiday?”[/b] Tsering asked nosily, before adding with a grin, “If you're here for a vacation, Omashu's pretty good. I come from near there. 'Course, it's probably a good 200 miles south, so...” He trailed off with a frown and scratched his head again, looking back the way he had come. “Yeah, it's a bit far...Anyway, I'm Tsering” Tsering said with a smile, “Nice to meet you.”[/size]

[gkblazer]

As Renshu waited for his fish to cook he opened up his map again to try and get a better look to where he was. He knew it was somewhere in the earth kingdom but he wasn't exactly sure where in the earth kingdom he was located in. Renshu then heard a noise of what sounded like something or one moving. As if some creature was watching him. He ignored it of course and kept examining his map so he could find republic city. The sound of someone approaching got louder and louder as Renshu then heard a voice.

As the stranger approached him Renshu would have normally greeted him with a fire stream to the face but he didn't because he couldn't help but chuckle a bit and the baldness of the guy. Renshu at first wasn't sure if they guy was trying to be a smart ass or something with the comments about how he caught his fish. It didn't matter to Renshu but this guy needs to learn how to introduce himself first before asking five million questions.

"Woah there Tsering anyone ever tell you, you ask a lot of questions?" Renshu asked jokingly as he folded up his map and got up dusting some dirt off his pants. "Name's Ren, Ren Zhixin nice to meet you Tsering and I'm heading toward Republic City," He said with a smile as he examined his fish. It still needed some time to cook so he would converse with Tsering to kill some time.

"What brings you to the Earth Kingdom? It seems you're an air bender?" Renshu asked happy to have someone to talk to.

[pkdot]

Tsering waited for the man to turn to him as he sat in a squat position on the ground. It didn't take long. Technically, you shouldn't be able to hear an air bender sneak up on you, but he never bothered to muffle his foot steps with air. That... was probably how the Tigerdillo had found him, huh? Yeah, he should probably start doing that. Tsering glanced curiously at the map before grinning at the lone fire bender. “No, not really” Tsering replied with a grin and a shrug, “But I notice you didn't answer me. Family, War, Holiday." He paused with a frown, then quickly corrected himself with a wry grin."Actually, don't answer. I don't want to die if it's the second option. Nice to met you, Renshin. Ren. That'll work.” |He was in an unusually talkative mood and he could feel his energy draining as he spoke. Guess he wasn't going to make much distance today. What a pity, he thought with a grin, training will just have to wait another few weeks.

“Anyway how did you know I was an airbender?” Tsering asked in mock surprise, looking down at himself with his arms outspread, “Was it the clothes? The accent? The shocking good loo- No, it couldn't be that. Giant sign post over my head?” T[/b]sering jumped to his feet, walking in a circle around the fire then stopped with a yawn, slumping back down onto the ground again. “That's my exercises done for the day” he joked with a grin “Seriously, it's because I'm 15 and bald, isn't it? I do get that one a lot.” He tapped his head, scratching it again irritably as he felt the small spikes. “Well, sort of bald” he admitted plaintively rubbing his scalp, “Stupid stuff grows.” Tsering stretched,his arms back behind his head and collapsed backwards onto the ground with another yawn, eyes drooping sleepily as he stared up through the canopy. [“I'm going to another air temple. Got to finish my training and apparently I need a new training environment” he replied with a shrug, “All the air temples are in the Earth Kingdom and miles away from each other. You'd think they'd lend me a sky bison, but noooo. Also, I haven't spoken to anyone in a few days so I will probably keep talking for a while. Enjoy that.” Good for you to walk, they'd said. Get some discipline, they'd said. Just wanted to be rid of him really.

Tsering fell silent and closed his eyes, allowing the warmth to soak through his skin. It was comforting, but it felt dangerous to relax around a firebender for too long. What if he was a spy and he was sat here, relaxing his guard down? Ready to slit his throat... Tsering sat up abruptly and got to his feet, stretching out his arms. “The republic, huh?” he repeated with an uncomfortable frown as Renshin looked the fish over. Tsering made a face, kicking a small stone with one foot into the river. “I've heard it's pretty bad there. Slums and stuff” Tsering admitted, kicking a few more stones in after the first, “Probably get killed the instant you get in. Or if not that, pick pocketed, stabbed, beaten up in probending, hunger, sickness...Blood. Lots of that” He grimaced, laughing darkly and stepped back, as if the thought was enough to make him run. “Well, I'm sure you'll do alright.” Tsering commented weakly with a laugh, sitting down again against the tree, “Fire bender in the Neutral region would do alright. No problem.”[/size]

[gkblazer]

As the airbender had got into a squatting position Renshu turned around and sat next to his cook meat which was about ready for consumption. He had each fish set up on their own individual sticks so he just pulled on off and double checked it to make sure it was cooked all the way. "To be honest I'm not here for any of that stuff I guess you could say I'm here on vacation," Renshu said with a shrug, he was mainly just heading toward Republic City to enter into a pro-bending contest.

As Tsering continued to talk Renshu took a bite out of his fish. It tasted good but to Renshu it wasn't as good as Fire Nation fish, he could just be saying that because he was a bit homesick. He couldn't help but laugh a bit at his comment about him being bald and 15. "Yep!" Renshu exclaimed at the comment. "It was that big chrome dome of yours that gave it away. The only people I've ever seen with that haircut were airbenders that and your clothes," He laughed. It was a bit strange though that all the air temples were in the earth kingdom, did the air benders not have their own territory to build their temples at the time?

It somewhat seemed that he and Tsering were on the same road, heading somewhere to train. Well Renshu's decision of training seemed a bit more dangerous that his fellow bender. To bad Tsering was an airbender though Renshu didn't think airbenders were allowed in pro-bending but he could be wrong. It seemed that giving Tsering a Sky Bison would have been the best thing so he could travel from one place to another quickly and safely. It also would have been cool to see a Sky Bison.

"Don't worry about me Tsering I'll be fine I'm one of the toughest fire benders you'll meet!" Renshu exclaimed laughingly being overconfident. He didn't think it was going to be that bad in Republic City but Renshu would find a way either way. "Oh where are my manners! Want some fish?" The firebender asked offering up some of his food.

[pkdot]

Tsering watched silently for a few moments as Renshin fiddled with the position of the sticks, eyes narrowing on the wrinkly, blackened flesh of the fish half submerged in the fire. Unconsciously, he made a grimace and rummaged into his bag, looking for the pouch of berries. Plucking one, he popped it in his mouth and chewed it happily for a few moments, feeling the juice dribbling down his throat before he swallowed. “Vacation?” he commented when he'd finished, putting the berry pouch back within his bundle. “Like I said. Republic City is a terrible place for a vacation. Go to Omashu. Cultural capital of the Earth Kingdom.” Or at least, that's what he told anyone who would listen. Tsering had a feeling that Ba Sing Se might have a little more cultural appeal to visitors, but Omashu was his home turf, a days walk from the Air Temple, and he would advertise it. “Also, my temple's near there” he added as an after thought, “Don't think we're so big on visitors.”

At the chrome dome jeer, Tsering's mouth fell open and he leapt to his feet, pointing at the man accusatively. “Hey. You mocked the baldness. Do not mock the baldness or the baldness will mock you” [/b]Tsering said sharply, bring his hands around in a circle, “Wanna fight? I must defend my scalps honour, fire boy.” He waved his hands around in a few mock bending movements before raising both his palms with a sheepish grin. “No, really, let's not. I hate fighting and I can't be bothered. Anyway is it really all that great? Hair, I mean” Tsering asked with a grin, rolling his eyes and collapsed back onto thr ground, stretching his back out against the soft earth. “Look at it. Whispy tufts sprouting from your head, getting in your eyes and your mouth." said Tsering, glancing over at the firebenders own crazy fountain of hair, "Constantly having to cut it and wash it so it stays clean and nice. Not to mention tangles. I bet you get tangles.”

He frowned as his hand brushed against the prickly layer growing out of his head once more. It was really starting to bug him. Next village he visited, he was getting it shaved off again. He hated looking like a hedgehog growing out its spines.“Besides” Tsering added wryly, nodding to the fire, “if someone shoots fire at your head you'll become a living candlestick. Bet that happens a lot in fire bending class” He paused as the firebender continued to fiddle with the fire, looking up at the tree canopy. He could see the sky, bright blue and relatively clear, except for the ribbon of smoke from the fire snaking across it. Lovely day, really. “Sure, it'll attract a few girls, but you'll only lose it when you turn forty and then what will you do?” Tsering added as a snide after thought and closed his eyes. “Also, I like the feeling of the wind against my scalp” he added lazily, yawning again, “Reminds me of home, you know?”

Tsering smiled uncomfortably at Renshu's comment, turning his head away slightly. Cockiness got people killed. Ah well, if he said he could handle himself, he could handle himself. It wasn't worth antagonising a fire bender over. “Uh huh” he said dryly, “Well, don't come running to me when you've been stabbed in the gut. Really, don't. I hate blood.” His nose crinkled as the firebender waved a fish in front of his face and the vile, charred smell flooded his nose. Abruptly Tsering got up and took a few steps back, making gagging sounds. . “Um no thanks” he said, waving his hand quickly in front of his nose to remove the charred smell, “I'm a strict vegetarian. Trying to keep my life debt nice and low and all that. Besides I ate already, not a while back. Yummy rice cakes that don't involve killing an animal. Yum, yum, yum.” He smiled sheepishly and sat down again, still feeling a little ill from the horrible smell. “But do enjoy your fish?”
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